directed by:
Lucy Yong written by: Matt Newton genre: Action |
Fun fact – I’ve seen maybe about half a fight in the octagon in my entire life. I remember working in my old video store way back when the very first UFC match was released as a rental, and it was pretty damn obvious from day one that they had something massive on their hands. Scores and scores of dudes from their late teens to just about retirement age were getting up off their couch and getting a membership card for the very first time, just so that they could watch somebody get the bloody hell knocked out of’em. As for me, I was probably renting a bunch of indie films and writing poetry in my spare time.
Still, I’ve always appreciated the opportunity to dive into somebody else’s world and see what makes them tick. In this instance, we follow fighter Joey in “Cage Rage,” who’s trying to juggle the increased momentum of his fighting career while the rest of his life has been somewhat falling apart in the background. His ex is dating another fighter after explicitly telling him that she didn’t want him fighting. He’s got a tough time saying no to an extra drink. He’s got friends in the drug business that are thriving and making easy money. Let’s be real here – Joey’s in a significant tailspin and having a real tough time. I dig scenarios like this to be truthful. We’ve got no real reason to root for Joey when we first meet him, but we’re still drawn to his story. He’s an anti-hero at best…more antagonist than protagonist, you know what I mean? Right from the get-go, we’re looking for ways to support this guy, and we’re immediately hoping that he’ll pull himself out of his troubles, but we don’t have any logical reasons to do that. You can chalk that up to the X-factor of Matt Newton, who does a stellar job of bringing the humanity to Joey’s character. He’s got a lot invested here when it comes right down to it; not only does he play the main character, he’s also Co-Director and the Writer behind this film as well. You know what they say, if you want a job done right, you’ve gotta do…like…ALL of them yourself! For real, you get the point: when someone is this involved in every aspect of their work, it leads to a consistency that really can’t be beat. As to why Joey can’t take no for an answer when it comes to his ex-girlfriend Ellie (Kim Michelle), we don’t really get too many details on that so much as we see the effect it has had on him in the aftermath. He’s spiralling out of control, to the point where he’s still trying to be supportive of her singing career, while she’s now ready to call the cops on him at the first sign of trouble. And let’s be clear – to see Joey is to see trouble, full stop…so he’s got a very fine line to walk that continues to get narrower & narrower. As he’s getting choked out on the mat and blacking out for at least the second time within about twenty-five minutes or so, you have no real choice but to wonder if he’s got any legitimate shot at redemption. To make things worse, he’s kinda shite as a drug dealer, to be honest, so it appears his new career isn’t going to work out so well. He’s got his back against the wall, and if you’ve ever seen a film like this before, you know that he basically needs to hit rock bottom before he can make the necessary changes. Fighting is a reflection of life in that sense, from my perspective at least. Human beings so rarely make any significant changes in what they do or how they behave until they feel like they have no other choice. Joey better get his shit together though; he’s losing all the people that genuinely care for him by being as reckless as he has been. To make matters worse, he’s been robbed at knifepoint…well, it’s actually a freakin’ samurai sword, but you get the point – he’s in even more trouble now with some added debt attached to his name. As you’d probably assume, professional drug dealers don’t tend to be all that understanding when you don’t have their money on time, no matter what the reason is behind you not having it. Don’t be fooled by the sweet look in Sacha’s (Chloe Rann) eyes; she’s essentially the middleman and starting to feel the squeeze herself. Working with Joey is a genuine problem, and she knows that, but now that he’s on the hook for a stolen shipment, they’re tied together, like it or not. Look…I’ll be honest with you – I was surprised by the overall quality of “Cage Rage.” As much as I try to remain open-minded & objective in whatever I’m watching, there’s a reason I never ended up watching cage matches, UFC fights, or even boxing when it came on…it all tends to be a bit meat-headed, don’t it? So again, to be truthful, I think that’s what I figured I was in store for with “Cage Rage,” and I was stoked to discover that it really wasn’t like that at all. There’s an unexpected depth to this film, and it works really well in its favour. So much of “Cage Rage” takes place outside of the octagon, and Joey’s own story is so chaotic & messy & compelling at the same time that you can’t help but be entertained by this. We all kind of know what a movie like this is about & how it’ll ultimately get sorted out by the end, so don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming that “Cage Rage” is recreating the wheel in any way, shape or form, but there is always value in a story well told, which is what I feel like this was. From Rocky to Hulk Hogan, we’re all familiar with the fighter that is pushed right to the brink of their breaking point, and as you see Joey getting knocked on his ass yet again, you can feel the shift in the wind as the clarity he needs finally starts to come to him. That doesn’t mean he just automatically starts winning – he’s still got plenty of lumps to take, particularly from his main opponent in life and love in Sammy – but in life, all we really need is a puncher’s chance for when preparation meets opportunity to get ourselves a second chance.
Is it missing some details? Sure! I felt like most of the stuff surrounding the relationship between Ellie and Joey could have been much stronger than it was…but temper those expectations; Matt’s a fighter, and they don’t really tend to go too deep into their feelings all that often. But like, we don’t really know why he’s pining for her to begin with, other than to assume that heartbreak hits us all in the same way, and we have even less of an idea about why Ellie seems to become interested again after he finally gets another win under his belt at long last. Was that really all it took? Is it a little cliché when Joey winds up surviving a real bad night at his side job, only to end up taking the baddie to the bedroom? Sure! Like I was saying, it’s not like you should go into watching “Cage Rage” expecting it’s going to do much of anything that you haven’t already seen, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how OK that actually is. With a competent cast to carry the weight of where the storyline can take predictable turns, you don’t really feel the drag of the plot like you might normally under similar circumstances. In addition to that, you’ve got a film that is actually extremely well shot too – credit to listed directors Lucy Yong, Chas Appeti, and Newton himself for that. As the story eventually funnels itself towards the conflicted battle at the end in the main event, “Cage Rage” could probably be a bit tighter than it is, but it’s not really like it wanders too far off from where it should have its focus. It feels apparent that this movie isn’t vying for a spot at the Oscars and chose not to be that kind of film from the very start, but it’s really something to see how much works here, even when the story itself isn’t all that original. Instead, they opt to play to their strengths, pun intended, and as a result, it felt like “Cage Rage” came out with a solid win that all involved deserved to be proud of. Would the old guys who used to rent the UFC fights dig this? You bet they would – but there’s more to it than that…the appeal to this movie is much broader all around. Think of it this way: if there wasn’t, I would have turned this off long before the credits had a chance to roll. Instead, here I was, happily watching this story unfold from what felt like a coveted ringside seat. I think “Cage Rage” has earned its four stars out of five. My complaints are minor at best, at least beyond this sports-based film still being quite like the majority of sports-based films that are already out there. “Cage Rage” feels like it should be recognized as being above average from my perspective; the quality of the work from everyone felt like they understood the mission and brought their A-game to it. The sum is greater than its individual parts or any single component of its story, but at the end of the day, that’s the sign of a well-rounded film that’s fully ready to fight for your attention. |
|
|
More To Check Out.
|
